Trends in writing headlines

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There are certain types of headlines that work time and again. Experiment with some popular headline trends like the listicle, the question and the tease. Journalist and writing coach Starshine Roshell shows you why they work -- and how to make them work for you, to draw readers into your story.

- [Voiceover] The thing about headlines is that…when someone happens upon an approach that works…and works well,…then everybody starts using it.…You've seen some examples of this yourself.…For instance, there's the Listicle.…Nine Reasons to Binge-Watch 'Game of Thrones' This Weekend.…Or, how about, 14 Surprising Ways to Make Kale Delicious.…Or, Five Things You Didn't Know about Your Own Belly Button.…Often associated with Buzzfeed,…this trend exploded in the last few years…and is finally waning now in major media outlets,…but it was sort of everywhere for a while…and for good reason.…

It worked.…Despite criticism that blamed these listy headlines…for the dumbing-down of society and other such evils,…the things are effective because…they promise a scannable narrative structure.…We know what we're getting into before we commit,…and we busy readers like that very much.…I'm gonna show you some other headline trends,…and I suggest you experiment with them.…If one suits your material, try it,…and see if you get more click-throughs than usual.…

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Released

6/23/2016

To rise above the noise and capture your readers' attention, you need candid and catchy headlines. There's an art to writing them, but you don't need to be an artist to master it. Whether you write for blogs, websites, newsletters, press releases, or social media posts, you can learn how to craft attention-grabbing headlines with these essential tips and techniques from veteran journalist and writing coach Starshine Roshell.

How do you sum up an entire story in a few words? Starshine shows you how to preview a story, pull out the relevant benefits, and pack them into a pithy headline. Find out how to use style to engage your readers—writing with vibrant, active language, being truthful, and telling readers what they need to know in a timely way. She also stresses the importance of mechanics, showing you how to correctly and effectively use punctuation and capitalization in headlines. Plus, get details on when to write subheads, how to employ keywords for SEO, and the background on headline trends, all with loads of examples along the way.